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The fifth album, Freedom, from Damon McMahon aka Amen Dunes is setting up to be potentially his best work to date. “Blue Rose” is the latest track (following “Miki Dora”) from it and comes with a video directed by Alex Goldberg. The LP is available for pre-order through Sacred Bones.

Why Bonnie is the Austin, TX quartet started as the bedroom project of Blair Howerton now additionally comprising Mitch Lamon, Sam Houdek, and Kendall Powell. This Friday, February 16th, will see the release of their debut EP, In Water, through the well-curated Sports Day Records. “Practice” is the second reveal from the EP (find “Made of Paper” here) and can only be described as shimmering sadness with its glossy exterior hiding a darker underbelly lyrically creating something beautiful out of the heavier experiences Howerton pulls from for inspiration in crafting the four-song collection available for pre-order via their Bandcamp.

We couldn’t be more excited to see the profile of The Shacks, the Queens duo of Shannon Wise and Max Shrager, grow exponentially after their appearance in a iPhone commercial last fall with their version of the Dave Berry single “The Strange Effect” written by Ray Davies of The Kinks off their underrated debut EP from 2016. On March 30th, they will release their debut long-play, Haze, via Big Crown Records produced by label co-founder Leon Michels. “Follow Me” is the excellent lead single and we now have a visual accompaniment directed by Catherine Orchard. Pre-order the LP here.

After the dissolution of the extremely promising Her Again, Bloomington, IN singer-songwriter Jordan Gomes-Kuehner is ready to set out on her own under the moniker Heaven Honey. The talented multi-instrumentalist is very much a chameleon musically presenting a sonic aesthetic falls somewhere in the middle of PJ Harvey or Angel Olsen blended with a little bit of haziness of Ariel Pink.

While not her only outputto date, “Been Anybody” represents her first formal single to be released this Friday, February 16th, via new label 1212 Records and serves as the first track from her debut EP due out sometime later this spring. On the song, Gomes-Kuehner’s voice flutters over worn in guitar work manifesting into a brooding soundscape displaying an underlying strength in vulnerability. As her evolution as an artist continues, we only expect her to get better and better. Listen below.

As giant snowflakes fell outside of the Bishop in Bloomington on Feb. 5, a sold-out, Monday night crowd was treated to phenomenal sets by two outstanding songwriters—one more established and the other on the rise.

A Columbus, Indiana native, Peter Oren kicked off the night with his bellowing, Bill Callahan-esque voice. Managed by the fine folks of Winspear, Oren recently released an excellent album on Western Vinyl titled Anthropocene. Much like Jens Lekman, Oren had a way with telling stories in between songs, giving the audience an intimate glimpse into the small-town Indiana contexts that inspire his songs. From the set, “Falling Water” and “Throw Down” were two Anthropocene selections that particularly grabbed my ears.

After hearing so much about Jens Lekman’s brilliant live performances, I was quite excited to experience one for myself for the first time. As expected, the Swedish songwriter did not disappoint, pulling me in immediately with his irresistible storytelling. Although playing solo, Lekman demanded attention from the audience from the first strum on his guitar, weaving humor in and out of his genuinely stunning set.

To kick things off, Lekman opened with a cover of The Lovin’ Spoonful’s classic “Do You Believe in Magic?” This was followed by “Hotwire the Ferris Wheel,” which gave the audience a first taste of Lekman’s charm simply as a human being. This led into several more songs from Lekman’s 2017 album, Life Will See You Now. After starting off the set with just an acoustic guitar, Lekman unveiled his accompanying backing track setup for “To Know Your Mission,” showing that he could be DJ Jens while also being Songwriter Jens and Storyteller Jens.

For the remainder of his set, Lekman touched on tracks from throughout his catalog, including many selections from much-loved 2007 release Night Falls Over Kortedala. Time and time again, he interacted with the audience in an endearing way, making the show feel more like a private party than a concert. Fittingly enough, his birthday was at midnight following his performance, making for an even grander occasion.